***** Quickie’s Burgers & Wings, 1000 South State Road 7, Hollywood Florida, 33023 (954) 981- 9464.

Got a really good “fast food burger-wing” joint for you…Quickie’s Burgers & Wings located in Hollywood.

You can checkout Quickie’s menu/prices at www.quickiesburgersandwings.com.

Just so you know, we are absolutely-positively not talking McDonalds-Wendy’s-Burger King here…this is not a $1 menu type of joint. If you think top-quality Five Guys’ type burgers, you will appreciate what Quickie’s is all about.

Quickie’s menu has burgers, wings, chicken and mahi-mahi sandwiches, fries, onion rings…A 1/3 lb burger is gonna run you $3.99 and a 1/2 lb burger will set you back $5.29.

In a recent outing, I did a 1/3 lb bacon cheeseburger, french fries, onion rings and chicken wings. The burger which had a charcoal bbq taste was really good and right up there with the best fast-food burgers that I have eaten in South Florida. The fries and onion rings were okay–but nothing to go nuts over, the naked chicken wings with that golden bbq sauce were delicious.

Like I said before, this is a fast food joint…order at the counter, pickup at the counter. Nothing fancy here, but I am telling you that for fast food this is really good stuff.

Quickie’s is open Monday-Saturday 10am-9pm and Sunday noon-6pm.

The Capital Grille, 444 Brickell Avenue, Miami, Florida 33131 (305) 374-4500.

This evening, I had dinner in the “upscale-white tablecloth steak-joint”…The Capital Grille located in Miami.

Just so you know, The Capital Grille which has something like 32 locations in the United States is owned and operated by publiclly traded Darden Restaurants which also owns/operates Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 restaurants. The Capital Grille is Darden’s UPSCALE STEAKHOUSE CONCEPT.

At this juncture of the review you can check The Capital Grille’s website www.thecapitalgrille.com for menu/prices/locations.

Using a $50 gift card from American Express which also included 2 free desserts, I still managed to run-up a $250 tab for dinner for—4.

I’m not going to bother you with details…let’s just say, that the food isn’t very good…my Delmonico steak was salty and McDonald’s has better french-fries…

This joint is a rip-off…overpriced crap.

One good thing to report, we had a waiter, David M. who was outrageously good. He knew the menu inside and out…provided outstanding service and even gave me a full-walking tour of the kitchen.

The Capital Grille does lunch- Monday-Friday and dinner Monday-Sunday.

Don’t waste your time.

***As a postscript to the above…two days after eating at The Capital Grille, I contacted Darden’s corporate offices and advised the President’s Office of what a lousy meal I and my party had had. Various information was exchanged and I was assured that the individual who oversaw the South Florida Region would personally contact me to discuss the matter. Just wanted to let you guys know, that it is now July 20, 2015 and to date, I have not recieved a phone call, letter or any form of communication from anyone at Darden. Obviously, this public company couldn’t give a rats-ass about what I think about their operation. This…should give you a heads-up about what this chain’s customer service may-be all about.

***** Stop Burgers, 1793 Bell Tower Lane (Weston Town Center), Weston, Florida 33326 (954) 349-4556.

If you live in the Weston area, I got a good fast-food burger joint for you…Stop Burgers. You can check this jont’s website at www.stopburgers.com for menu/prices.

I’m gonna take a shot here…but I think that the owners of Stop Burger were “thinking” Five Guys when they “conceived” this joint. For sure the menu has more stuff than Five Guys like chicken and onion rings…but for me at least, the Five Guys vibe is there.

I enjoyed the cheeseburger. I thought that the curly fries were just okay.

Stop Burger…better than Wendy’s, Burger King…not in the same league as Five Guys.

Stop Burgers is open 7 days a week 11:30am-10pm.

***** Sunset Diner, 3500 Southeast Federal Highway, Stuart, Florida 39997 (772) 781-6392.

Got a very good “local-neighborhood-diner” for you…Sunset Diner in Stuart. The Sunset Diner is open 7 days a week from 6am-9pm and serves breakfast all-day.

Sunset’s decor is diner-decor…booths and counter-seating. It’s a small joint…it has a real nice local-small -town feel to it. Trust me on this, you won’t confuse it with the mammouth Greek-diners which dot the NJ and NY landscape. This is strictly “mom & pop” Florida.

Sunset Diner’s menu is loaded with breakfast stuff, salads, appetizers, sandwiches, burgers and meat-seafood-chicken entrees. Like I said before, it is open 6am-9pm…I did a recent lunch and really enjoyed a bacon cheeseburger, tuna salad on white toast, scrambled eggs real easy & bacon…all at neighborhood diner prices.

In previous reviews, I have talked about “other” local diners and how they are fixtures in towns throughout America. Let’s add Sunset Diner to the list… a really good place for no-nonsense food and local talk.

***** Sh-Boom *****

I don’t want you guys to think that I’m a bookworm or something…but I just finished a terrific book, “Sh-Boom” written by Clay Cole.

For you guys who don’t know who Clay Cole is (“was”)…Clay was New York City’s “version” of Dick Clark from 1953-1968.

If you like Rock N’ Roll…Cole has written a no-holds-barred book detailing the inner-workings and personalities that most of us have never heard before.

An absolutely great read.

***** Cucina Rustica and Pizza, 1000 US Highway 1, North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 (561) 355-0361.

Had dinner the other day (or is it night?) in a really-nice “white tablecloth” Italian joint in North Palm Beach…Cucina Rustica and Pizza. Now don’t get nervous… although Cucina’s got tablecloths, your tee shirts and shorts will do-just fine in this “establishment.” On the pricing front…neighborhood prices…dinners come with salad and pasta side.

I did a real simple “taste test”…chicken marsala ($15.95), eggplant parmigiana ($12.95), cheese ravioli in a pink vodka sauce ($12.95), veal parmigiana ($16.95), large plain pizza ($11.95)…everything was right on the money. I especially liked the veal parm which was tender–in a real nice marinara sauce and the chicken marsala, soft as butter.

Cucina Rustica’s menu has the full-boat of appetizers, salads, pastas and numerous pizza-combinations. Very pleasant servers…and like I said before, reasonable prices.

Cucina Rustica’s decor…bright, airy, no crazy boxcar trellises.

I really enjoyed Cucina Rustica. The joint is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday 4pm-10pm.

***** “Save the Deli” *****

Just finished a terrific new book which came out about 1-week ago…”Save the Deli” by David Sax…this 319 pager—will tell you things about pastrami that you never knew. South Florida establishments…Mo’s Bagels and Deli (Aventura)—Too Jay’s (various locations)—3G’s Gourmet Deli (Delray Beach)—Pomperdale (Fort Lauderdale)—Sage Bagel and Deli (Hallandale Beach)—Roasters’ and Toasters (Miami)—Bagel Bar East (Miami)—Bagel Cove (Miami)—Best Deli (Plantation)—Myron’s (Pompano Beach)—Jerry’s Famous Deli (Miami) are mentioned.

Great read.

Dickey’s Barbeque Pit

Dickey’s is a “fast-food” bbq joint…order at the counter/pickup at the counter. Dickey’s is a national chain with locations all over the United States. You can check its website www.dickeys.com for menu/prices/locations.

Lucky for us Floridians…Dickey’s for right now–only has 1-Florida location, that being in Oviedo, Florida. Last week I ate at a Dickey’s in Dallas, Texas and the food was borderline-horrendous. I tried the pulled pork, bbq ribs, bbq chicken…absolute crap. Not…going to bore you with the gory details, but just imagine a drumstick made of corrugated cardboard with the heaviest smoked-smell imaginable

Forewarned is Forearmed…Dickey’s website indicates that “new” Dickey’s Barbecue Pits will soon be opening in Homestead and Miami Lakes.

***** Charm City Burger Company, 1136 East Hillsboro Boulevard, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441 (954) 531-0300.

Back on April 17, 2008 I did a review on a “burger” joint named Charm City Burger Company. If you check that review, I absolutely loved the food. At that time, the joint had only been open for something like 3-months…and I questioned its “longevity” based on its piss-poor location. To make a long story short…the joint is still around– has new owners– has a cult-like following—and the food is absolutely DELICIOUS.

At this stage of this re-review check www.charmcityburgers.com for menu/prices.

All I can tell you, is that I was in the joint last week…delicious bacon cheeseburger, terrific french fries, great sweet potato fries, incredible chicken wings. sensational grilled chicken and soft shell crab rolls.

Order/pickup at the counter. Absolutely nothing fancy here. Just…outstanding food.

Charm City is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

***** Red Zone Cafe & Sports Theatre, 1804 Cordova Road, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316 (954) 467-3535.

The one thing that I know about restaurants is…I want to eat in them–not own them. Restaurants in South Florida (for that matter–everywhere in the United States) come and go, literally in the blink of an eye. Anyway…there use to be a small sports-bar chain down here called The Original Steakhouse—not half bad food–pleasant service–tvs galore. And one day, about 2 years ago, it just closed—Why it closed? I have absolutely no idea…but what I do recall, is that Original’s owners just walked away from the locations leaving the physical restaurants totally intact. Now follow me…Red Zone apparently moved into The Original Steakhouses’ Cordova Road location “lock stock & barrel”…because the joint’s decor is Original’s decor right down to the oversized tv sets on the wall…I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the plates, knives, forks and spoons are also the same.

I recently did dinner at Red Zone…check its website www.redzonecafe.com for menu/prices/and loads of photos. The food is “sports bar” food…probably no better nor worse that your “average” neighborhood haunt. I did pot stickers, bacon cheeseburger, chicken parm sub, babyback ribs…like I said, SPORTS BAR FOOD.

Let me wrap this up…Red Zone has the full boatload of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wings and meat-seafood-chicken entrees—tv sets…

By the way, if anyone out there knows the “real story” why The Original Steakhouse just-shut-down one day—without any notice…please e-mail me with the skinny.

The joint is open 7 days a week 11am-2am.